Glasses
by SiningStar
Summary: Kardia had never felt such anger by some stupid pair of glasses. Why the change of heart? Story by MMBC! KardiaxDégel, yaoi/shonen-ai! SSTLC Fic


**DISCLAIMER:** The characters below belong to Masami Kurumada and Shiori Teshirogi! **AND THE STORY BELONGS TO MMBC!**

**Warning:** Shonen-ai! Which means that below is show a light relationship between two men!

**Enjoy :D!**

* * *

**_Glasses_**

His first impression of the other was that, 'What the hell is a nerd doing here, with glasses and all?' Kardia of Scorpio had never liked nerds, not since he was a child.

The other boy, newly turned gold saint, was wearing a pair of glasses that sometimes glinted, hiding his teal eyes away. Under both of his arms were books, books, and more books, that looked as if they were falling to the ground, and yet so gracefully juggled from one hand to another by their carrier. What did he know, but Kardia could not help thinking that that Dégel of Aquarius would better suited to be the book bearer rather than the water bearer. And a book bearer, thought Kardia, should be no more useful to Athena, or to the Pope, or to the Holy War than a mere recluse immersed in his study, never doing anything useful to the outside word.

- Dégel of Aquarius. It is a pleasure to meet you, Scorpio Kardia.

During his little daydream, the nerd had managed to get all of his books neatly down onto a nearby table, and was now standing in front of him, hand outstretched. As if on instinct, Kardia replied with the vindictiveness proper to a true Scorpio:

- Che.

And that was it. The outstretched hand was never caught.

Just as Kardia was turning away, though, he had managed to secretly chance a glance back through the mane of his bangs, and caught a glimpse the other's glasses, deliberately flashing again, hiding away those eyes that were so piercing.

Was it just his imagination, or did he see those damnable glasses getting a bit wet?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the days passed, his hostility towards the other grew less and less, but it was never enough to break the icy barrier between them. Funny how, despite his being a Scorpio, the flame, and the other being an Aquarius, the ice, their queer relationship - if there ever was such a thing - was the exact reverse of their signs. Dégel, the ever gentle and affectionate one, would always be the one to greet first when they met, the one to smile at him every time he caught his eyes, and the one who would, through no order of the Holy Father or their unrevealed goddess, relieve him of the discomfort of his bursts of fever without fail. That was, of course, a secret that was never allowed to pass the walls of his temple, but it was, nevertheless, a secret about his own weakness that bothered him no end.

Why in Athena's name should the ice saint treat him so warmly?

And why in Hades' name did he, the boisterous one, dislike this person so much?

Kardia hated people in general. This time, however, he hated Aquarius even more. Perhaps it was because of his glasses. He hated how they would hide away his bright and, admittedly, beautiful eyes when Kardia sought to see them the most, and how they seemed to cover a part of those rosy cheeks that sometimes would seem to darken with the gentlest shade of pink. With those glasses on, his expression, and possibly his thoughts, could never truly be read by the Scorpio, and Kardia despised it when he could not decipher someone as plainly as he would read it from a page. It kept him insecure around that person.

And yet, his hatred diminished at an alarming rate despite himself. Since when he knew not, but the feeling of hatred had sneakily transformed into something else, something that was completely novel to him. He did not mind the hatred; hatred was good, because it was something he was used to. He did not mind the anger, either, for Kardia was personification of it himself. No, the new feeling bothered him not least because it was not something he understood, but because it gave him the twitches and the urge to do something he had never dreamt of doing to any human being, much less to another boy not unlike himself.

The day he realised that he was harbouring that feeling was the day that he had inadvertently lashed out at Dégel when he came rushing down to Scorpio to sooth his agony.

_- What do you think you are doing? – Shouted a very feverish and, consequently, or not, ill-humoured Kardia._

_- I am trying to help you? – The usually polite Dégel had replied, cocking an irritated eyebrow, - Pray, Kardia, you are not aware of what you are doing. Let me help you calm down first, and then perhaps we shall talk should you please._

_- I don't need your help, for Athena's sake! I have been coping with my own problems since forever, and you were not even here then!_

_- That is true, but I am now, and I do not deem it wise to let you endure any more unnecessary suffering. – His cheeks again seemed to colour, but Kardia could not see very well, partly due to the sweat running down in streams on his face, partly due to the cursed eyeglasses that threw a shade on those white, white cheeks._

_- Go away. – He could hear the metronomic beating of his heart. One, two, three, and so on, carrying away into infinity. His feeble consciousness was failing him without doubt, but his stubborn heart only kept on beating, steady, never faltering in the eerie silence that had succeeded his outburst._

_One, two, three, and so on to infinity…_

_Kardia suddenly realised something funny inside his heart to twist the moment his legs betrayed him, and on his way to his reunion with the cold floor of Scorpio, a pair of even colder hands caught him mid-air._

_It was the first skin-to-skin contact they had ever had, and yet, even as his consciousness was fading, Kardia could not help but realise how soft those hands were. And that was when it struck him that he liked the contact._

_Liking brought incomprehension, incomprehension brought horror, and horror brought anger, which was swift, easy and familiar. For he did not even need an ounce of awareness to call upon his cosmos and form the deadly needle that he was so proud of._

_The strikes that ensued hit their target, just as they had always hit their targets before._

_A pained gasp was heard, or was it a choked scream?_

_Those soft hands were never drawn away. Instead, they tightened their grasp on him, before his body was pushed against something tender and his head buried into a sea of velvety hair. And it was wonderfully cold, perhaps too cold for his usual liking, but beggars could never be choosers, and in his conditions, it was more than Kardia could ask for._

_His tensed muscles gave away at last, and Kardia leaned comfortably against whatever it was that was supporting his weight. Within his blurry vision, all he could see was a pair of damnable glasses._

Kardia shook his head miserably.

It was all because of Dégel's glasses. They were the first things that had caught his attention, for he had never seen real people wearing any glasses like that before, being trained from childhood amongst 'brutes'. Perhaps, if he could take those spectacles away, then Dégel would look like everyone else, and then he would not have this queer feeling coming up to bite him in the bum any longer. Right?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Wrong. Absolutely, definitely and devastatingly wrong.

It was quite a few days after Kardia had hurt Dégel, and some more days after he had come to the decision that he would get those infuriating spectacles out of the way. The day was particularly hot. Kardia, being used to the Greek heat as he was, still could not but feel like he was roasting inside his temple. That brought him to wonder how his unfortunate and reluctant companion was doing, him being the Siberian penguin.

'And why in Athena's name are you thinking about that bastard again?'

He had scowled internally, hating himself for not being able to pull his thoughts away from a particular teal-haired beaut… bastard. That was the last drop he needed to carry out the operation, his repressed rationality sprang up with all its might and gave him a kick in the pants.

Stealing towards the eleventh temple, using all the secret routes that wound through Sanctuary since who-knew-when, Kardia made steady progress towards the revival of his sanity despite the maddening thuds of his heart.

During the past few days, he had managed to map out the routines of the Aquarius, having followed him quite as faithfully as a true stalker. Some times during his meticulous investigation, the Scorpio had also figured out that the only times that the nerd would part with his precious eyeglasses were when he went to sleep and when he was bathing. It would soon be time for the latter, Kardia was sure, and then would come the chance for him to sneak in to get his hands on those glasses.

The eleventh temple soon came into view as he carried on with his painstaking progress. The sun was not being easy on him and his feeble condition was not helping, either. Muting his cosmos, Kardia made a beeline towards the private section of the house, looking for the bathroom where, he was quite certain, the Aquarius was spending an agreeable time, hiding from the dreadful summer Greece. The silence within the empty halls of the temple was suffocating, which magnified the muffled sounds of his footsteps even more. The stealthy quality of his activity was working doom on his fraying nerves, and Kardia prayed whoever it was that was laughing at him from Olympus would soon end up in Tartarus himself. For Kardia was certain that this was just another cruel prank of a bored deity.

'At least it is much cooler in here.' He tried in vain to console himself.

The icy cosmos of the other soon led him to the room he was looking for, which was divided into two small chambers. The outer one, where his clothes were left, was immediately adjacent to the inner bathroom, separated by a mere layer of tapestry. Kardia could almost see the outlines of Dégel's back inside, and in his mind's eye, he could see also the other's closed eyes, his long lashes that brushed against his cheeks, his hair floating in the small pond that was made with white marble and surrounded by statues made with the same material. The scene might have been divine and Dégel might have been a god in his own right.

Kardia shook his head violently. He was officially losing his mind, his rationality bellowed at him.

Returning to the task at hand, he looked round, hoping to find the offensive article. Easily enough, it was rested neatly on the same table where Dégel's clothes were folded and placed. Gingerly plucking the spectacles up with his thumb and forefinger, Kardia had to nearly slap himself to resist the urge to pick up the pile of clothes and inhale its fragrance.

As he turned to leave, his sandals inadvertently caused a small scraping noise, which immediately caught the attention of both him and the person beyond the tapestry. In a flash, Kardia was outside of the bath chamber and was hiding himself behind one of the giant pillars that lined the hall. In that same split second, the curtain was flung aside, and Dégel, as he glided out, grabbed the towel to hastily cover himself before rushing to catch up with the intruder.

- Who's there? – His voice echoed through the empty temple, but back came no reply, nor was there any sound other than his own breathing.

The sight would forever be burnt into Kardia's mind. There Dégel was, his pearly skin glistening with droplets of water that reflected the light streaming in through the open hallway, his wet hair clinging to his back, contrasting perfectly with the snow-white skin that was promised to be soft and velvety just by the look of it. The towel that was sloppily and loosely wrapped around his waist only did good to emphasise the wonder that was beneath it, leaving quite nothing to the imagination. Dégel looked as though he was an angel from a distant heaven, descending on earth in all of his halo and his nude glory. Yet, what struck Kardia all the more was his statuesque face, being devoid of the cursed glasses for the first time. His orbs seemed bigger, his thick lashes longer, his irises darker, his pupil more dilated and all in all his eyes looked as if they had become two profound pools that shamed even the most luminous of stars. His fair cheeks looked brighter and, perhaps, there was a tint of red to them too? His plump lips were slightly parted from the exertion, while shining drops of water still stubbornly clung to them, quivering every time air was drawn in through those rosy buds, as some more were trickling down those lovely cheeks from his still wet stresses.

Water was running down Dégel's sculpted body, and Kardia's eyes widened as he spotted angry red marks on the perfect display of skin. One, two, three, four, five… There were fourteen red marks altogether. Fourteen stings from a certain scorpion that would forever leave scars which would never fade. Fourteen stings from a heartless bastard that would forever mar a beauty.

Kardia sucked in a shuddering breath and shut his eyes tight to prevent himself from doing something he would regret later.

Turning warily from side to side, the Aquarius's piercing eyes stopped at the one pillar behind which Kardia was hiding. Kardia's silent breathing increased by a tiny fraction, but before he could do something silly such as dashing out of there with light speed, the Aquarius lost interest and turned away.

And the return to Scorpio had been a quiet one, in fact too quiet for his liking. Yet, what else could he have done?

Kardia looked down at the pair of glasses in his hands. Perhaps he was wrong to never have even tried to be kind, or to let another human being be kind to him for that matter. Maybe, just maybe, he would have an opportunity to retain some of the humanity he thought he had lost. For he suddenly realised that he could no longer be angry or bear any hatred towards a certain seraphic being.

Oh no, far from it. Kardia was in absolute horror the moment he recalled that ancient Greek tradition long, long ago. It was quite simple, and it was this: that within the circle of males in the ancient Greece, some older and stronger, whether politically, intellectually or simply physically, ones would fall in love with fine, lovely younger males, who would reciprocate their love and receive their protection as well as other forms of affection. It was the kind of tradition that was carved into the blood of Greeks in generations, so that even though it was nowhere near as prominent now, the tradition still burnt in a mysterious circle where only those involved had any knowledge of what was truly happening. Kardia never knew he had that cultural stamp in him – it was almost a second nature. Or perhaps, it was only he that was being psychologically ill. One thing was for sure, though, that he had fallen in love with a specific nerd, who was also an angel he did not deserve in a million years.

Having gone to his own bedchamber to put his 'trophy' there, Kardia returned only to find that Dégel had arrived at his temple, now fully dressed. The only thing that was missing was the pair of glasses that was currently residing next to the Scorpio's pillow in his bed, away from view.

Kardia had already surrendered to his feelings before, so why would he not now admit that he wanted nothing more than just to jump the boy in front of him? For he looked nothing short of being provocative without his scholarly glasses on. Of course, Kardia had wisely kept his dark thoughts to himself, not wanting to frighten his newly admitted friend away with his 'predicament'.

- Good afternoon, Kardia. – Came the cordial greeting. It was as if the episode within Scorpio not so long ago had never taken place, for the Aquarius was directing that irritatingly benign smile at him again.

- Hmm. – Kardia returned a terse reply, not knowing what to say.

- Always grumpy, I see. – The smile only widened as Dégel tilted his head to the side. – I would hate to bother you, but by any chance do you happen to see my eyeglasses anywhere?

- Your glasses? – The Scorpio quirked an eyebrow at best he could, trying to hide his discomfort at the mention of the article, himself being the culprit in the disappearance of said article.

- Aye. – The smile turned uneasy, as Dégel lowered his eyes, - I think I have put them safely away when I went to take a bath this afternoon, but when I returned, they were gone. Or it might be that I'm getting older and becoming forgetful. Anyway, they are very important to me, Kardia, so if you do happen to know where they are or who took it, pray tell me; I would forever be indebted to you. – Here his cheeks flushed up very slightly, but it was still enough for Kardia to plainly see the change, now without the offensive article blocking his view.

- You seem to be seeing alright without your glasses. Why do you need them anyway? – Kardia thought hard. If he did not keep on speaking, he might just slip something he never intended to, and then everything would be ruined beyond repair.

- I need them to read books. And since I do that quite often, I don't see the point of taking them off. Besides, - Here the tone was clipped – They were the only thing I had left from my father, or my adopted father, if you like.

- Oh. – Was all he could say.

Kardia quickly played with the idea of asking the Aquarius to do some certain things for him before returning the damned glasses, but rejected the thought at once. He was a dignified gold saint of Athena after all. Even if his urges were gaining the better of him more and more by the day, he would not give in to those lowly craving, much less coercing Dégel, his brother in arms, his friend and his secretly beloved.

- Wait here. – He ordered in the most authoritative tone he could muster.

Kardia had nearly broken into a run towards his bedchamber, as though fearing that the damned glasses would disappear if he were not fast enough. However, there they were, resting innocently on his bed, mocking him and his silly scorpion instinct. After all, there could not have been another Kardia within this barren sanctuary who may have thought of stealing something from someone they liked.

- Are these yours? – Returning to the outer section of the temple, Kardia handed the glasses to Dégel, whose eyes lit up at the sight of his father's memento.

- Indeed they are. Thank you very much. Oh, if only you knew how grateful I am to you, Kardia! – Dégel smiled brightly as he clasped his hand along with the glasses, his soft fingers pressing Kardia's hand ever so lightly, before letting go, not without something akin to regret.

- It is a good thing they are returned to you, then. – Scratching his head, Kardia fought the hardest battle he had ever entered into in order to control the heat on his neck from creeping onto his face as well, all the while racking his brain to think of a plausible explanation, - I found them near my temple this afternoon, but didn't know to whom they belong. Someone must have stolen them and then threw them away or dropped them there, I suppose.

Dégel, being the intelligent scholar he was, did not look very convinced. Still, he let the subject slide, and putting on another smile, he placed the cursed spectacles back onto their rightful place – the bridge of his nose.

- Hmm, Dégel? – Kardia called, reluctantly. There was something else that was nagging at his mind and it would not shut up until he gave a voice to it, which he at last did.

- Yes?

- Why did you tell me about them being your father's memento? You know, even if you had not, I would have returned them to you anyway.

Dégel's eyes widened before they were lowered and he turned his head to the side, not daring to look at Kardia. In a small voice, he answered:

- Because I trust you not to disclose it to anyone. And because it feels right to tell you about that secret.

Kardia was speechless. Did a human being just say that he trusted _him_? _The _Kardia? _The_ sadistic and poisonous being within the whole of sanctuary?

He felt his heart ramming against his ribcage all of a sudden, before his head went spinning. The quicker his head spun, the hotter he became, until before long he was quite literally burning from the inside out. Kardia swayed on the spot, preparing to stagger towards the welcoming ground. Surprisingly enough, Dégel was at his side before he knew it, and was supporting the whole of his weight with his arms firmly around Kardia's waist.

Gently easing the Scorpio onto the floor, Dégel put a hand just above where his heart would be, but never quite touching him, and started to generate the cold that would alleviate the pain. It was a slow process, but the front of his shirt began to freeze. The cold seeped through his skin and flesh, through his bone and into his flaming heart, calming down the inferno there in the mildest way possible. Bit by bit, the fire was subdued, his internal organs were refreshed and his fever was chased away. His heart resumed its steady drumming, one, two, three, and so on to infinity…

- Why do you want to help me? – Kardia had opened his weary eyes, only to be greeted with the worried expression of the Aquarius hovering straight over him.

- I believe we should leave that topic till another time, when you have been well-rested. Right now, pray, let me help you to your bedchamber to get some rest. – Dégel had blushed the prettiest shade ever and snapped his head back as if he had just been bitten.

Yet, before he could withdraw his hand, Kardia's hand had shot out and caught his wrist in an iron grasp, before he slackened a little but still firmly holding the other in place.

- It is pity, is it not? Tell me, Aquarius Dégel, it is because of pity that you help me, is it not? – His quivering voice betrayed his tumultuous feelings despite his best efforts. Kardia felt insulted and indignant at the idea, and at the same time hurt by the thought.

- It is not, indeed, Kardia, please, leave…

- No, I want to know your reason. I _need _to know your reason! – The one heavy feeling was vanquished, giving room to another. Was he allowed to hope, then?

Dégel was silent for a long time, with his head bent and his breathing barely controlled. Finally, with a significant effort, he looked up at Kardia and said in a tremulous tone:

- If you have to know, then it would be because I care about you. I promise you that it is never from pity that I help you; for how could I pity a person who is my better? Will you now let me help you to your bed?

Kardia smirked. Ah. So he did have a chance after all, although the care Dégel reserved for him was more certain than not not the kind of care he would have hoped for. Nodding his consent, Kardia hoisted himself up with trembling limbs, still weary from the sudden attack. Holding onto the other's shoulder, they made their way to the private wing of the temple.

As Kardia laid down on the stone slab that served as his bed, he drew in a deep breath at the thought that crossed his mind. Looking intently at the one trying to make him comfortable on his own bed, he was torn between giving voice to this treacherous glowering of his non-existent conscience and his pride. Sighing, he ground his teeth together. He would not say it; no, he would not!

- Are you still in pain? – Dégel had cut in, pulling him from his train of thoughts. His eyebrows scrunched together in concern as he put the back of his hand to Kardia's forehead, testing the temperature.

- No, I am quite comfortable now. – Kardia debated with himself for a moment before adding with reluctance, - Thank you.

- You are very welcome, Kardia. Pray, do call me if you need anything else. – Dégel's voice betrayed his surprise, but his expression soon turned into a pleased one as a smile bloomed upon his lips. – I shall leave you to rest now, good day.

Yet, as Dégel was about to exit, Kardia's guilt began to bite at him again. This was the perfect opportunity to say it; if he were a man, he should have said it now! Now!

So not, so not; his pride would not allow him, and the pride was what constituted a man too. Was it not? Was it not?

Kardia sighed in defeat.

- Wait. – He called gingerly.

- Yes, Kardia?

He sighed again. Why the hell was it so hard?

- Listen well here, nerd, for I will never say this again. – Kardia wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee, which was impossible due to the wall facing his bed, - I… am sorry for attacking you the other day. I was feverish and did not quite know what I was doing. Will you… forgive me?

There, he said it. He said it! For shouting out loud, would his silly mind leave him alone? He had lost his sanity already, and did not need anxiety to add to his pathetic current state. Turning towards the wall, Kardia curled up as a child would and pouted.

- It is all right, Kardia. Thank you very much.

And what the hell was the nerd thanking him for? Did he not hear that he was apologising?

Turning towards the other again to shout at his folly, Kardia could not close his mouth at the sight he was greeted with. The smile that lingered on Dégel's lips was the most beautiful ever, as his whole expression lit up in utter happiness.

No, Kardia would not jump him. At least not _now_.

Thus resolutely deciding, he turned back towards his beloved wall with a characteristic 'che', pretending as if the whole ordeal was something insignificant.

- Then, good day, Kardia. I hope to see you tomorrow.

And with that, Dégel departed, leaving him to the mercy of his inner turmoil.

Damn his glasses and damn the momentary lack of his glasses, for they were indeed the cause of his current 'predicament'.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

So then. How did he get into this embarrassing situation again?

As far as he could remember, the last time that he saw the nerd without his glasses was some five months ago, after which he had done a remarkable job at containing himself from fawning over his newly acquired friend like a puppy would its master. Had he not been a Scorpio Saint with an ego big enough to bring pain to whatever unfortunate rock that he sat on, he would have been proud of his self-control.

So how come he was finding Dégel squashed between himself and the wall of his own library now?

Oh. Right, he should make it clear that none of this was his intention. Here he was, happily swaggering his way to Aquarius in an unusually high spirit, not least because he had defeated both Cancer and Capricorn today, when the temple greeted him with its usual silence. Having been on a rather friendly term with the Aquarius so that they were a kind of 'friends' now, he had known the boy enough to effortlessly come to the conclusion that he must be in his library, like usual. And as he happily swaggered his way towards the old building again, well, that was when it struck him for the first time that the boy could actually be _sleeping._ For there he was amongst his books, head rested on folded arms and glasses askew on the obscured face.

The next thing the nerd did took his breath away, literally, and Kardia had to make it very clear that none of this was his intention! Dégel had lifted his head, taken his glasses down, and rubbed his eyes in a groggy fashion. Seeing those eyes uncovered again in so long, especially with a dazed look in them, sent a million images through Kardia's overly helpful imagination. Perhaps it was not entirely unexpected that he did not expect what was to come next.

Sure enough, he did not know what happened next, but a switch somewhere in his head went off, just like that, and before he knew it, his mind went 'Screw Athena!' and there were limbs flying through the air in every which direction.

So it was totally not his fault that he was suddenly finding himself pinning his 'friend' against the wall!

But if so, why was he jumping back as if burnt now? And why was he blushing for the very first time in his life, and why was he feeling this uncontrollable urge to just flee from everything? Just why?

- What…? – Dégel was looking at him with eyes as wide as saucers, glasses long forgotten, dangling limply from his dainty fingertips.

- I…- Fan-fucking-tastic. What was he supposed to say? – You were, uh, defenseless in your sleep, uh, so I was… going to teach you a lesson? – _Great. _He had done it now. Well done Kardia, now you might as well just turn on your heel and go back to that tiny shell you have been in since forever and never see him again.

- Oh… - Dégel was apparently still lost for words. Well, who would have expected that there would be a day when the scholar of the sanctuary would get tongue-tied? Certainly not him.

- So, erm, I guess I'm done waking you up. Do take care to be, uh, more careful next time. Good day. – When Dégel had blinked his beautifully dazed eyes, Kardia had wanted nothing more than to abandon the lines of thought he was painstakingly coming up with just for the sake of jumping him again. But no, the part of him that cared about his wounded ego had to hold him back tooth and nail, thus leading him to his even more lame excuses.

As Kardia turned round with a supposedly impressive swish of his cape with every intention to take flight and never turn back, it was perhaps not surprise that he had missed a certain twinkle in the now uncovered eyes of a certain teal haired beauty.

So perhaps it was not so much of a surprise at all when his wrist was stopped by a petit hand. Well, not as much as Kardia had imagined, or cared, for that matter.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Kardia blamed it all on Dégel and his stupid glasses.

As he laid comfortably on the stone slab that served as his bed, a certain something poked him in the side. Glancing down with an irritated glare, he realised that it was none other than the offensive article he was hoping would go to Tartarus due to the sheer intensity of his curses.

Kardia was not even going to be bothered to lie about it, but eyeglasses could actually hurt too, if they were placed against his ribs for hours on end, digging into the skin that dipped between the bones.

Of course, the urge to destroy said article was strong, but never quite strong enough to outweigh the possible consequences that might follow. Kardia might appear to be a mere brute with little brain, but was that not exactly what his over-powerful mind wanted the world to see?

Ignoring the painful poking at his rib, he looked down at the face resting at his side. A small smile crept onto his downturned lips.

On that day that was supposed to be the saddest day of his life that turned out to be happiest day of his life, Dégel had hugged him. He had pulled his hand back, and as Kardia had spun around with the momentum, he suddenly found arms going around himself and a head burying itself into the nape of his neck. Why Dégel had done it, Kardia was not sure. Perhaps he had seen for a moment the glimpse in his eyes when he had pressed the other boy against the wall, totally forgetting who and where he was. Or perhaps, it was the case that madness was not unshared. After all, Dégel was known to be the wisest amongst them all. But who was he to say that the wisest could not be most reckless or insane, much like a certain Scorpio he had acquainted himself with?

Whichever the case, Kardia was grateful for the fate that seemed to having been deriving great entertainment from his agony till that point.

For at present, with Dégel being in his protective embrace, perhaps all the pain, the anger, the awkwardness and the embarrassment that he had to go through seemed to have paid off. And Kardia could not ask for anymore than that.

Sighing quietly, he reached down and plucked the annoying glasses from Dégel's peaceful features. For a moment, his hand tightened imperceptibly around the spectacle, as if toying with the idea of crushing it with a twitch of his fingers. Indeed it would have made Dégel and his damned pretty face much more pleasing to the eyes, without the glints that hid away his striking gaze and his fair, fair cheeks.

Kardia placed the glasses safely next to his pillow, where he was sure they would not be crushed should he turn in his sleep. After all, it was thanks to them that he had first caught sight of the nerd, was it not now? Patting the spectacles warningly, Kardia finally turned and closed his eyes, not forgetting to place a peck on Dégel's closed lids, now uncovered.

Life was good even if some annoying glasses were still there, indeed.

_Fin._

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A.N.: I hope to contribute to the grow of KardisxDegel's fanlisting and community!

Please review and tell my dear MMBC what you think! Once again, this story was not written by me, SiningStar, but by MMBC!


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